2019 WGC - Mexico Championship Preview

SHARES

photo courtesy the PGA Tour

The World Golf Championship - Mexico Championship returns to the Club de Golf Chapultepec in suburban Mexico City this weekend, February 21-24. As one of the four World Golf Championships (WGC), the event is seen as one of the most prestigious non-major tournaments in golf. The WGC-Mexico Championship is the first WGC of the year and generally attracts the world best players. This year is no different, as 9 of the world’s top-10 ranked golfers are expected to compete. One golfer looking to make an impression is Phil Mickelson. Mickelson, continuing his career resurgence, will look to repeat his heroics from 2019 when he defends his WGC - Mexico Championship title.

photo courtesy the PGA Tour

2018 Champion Phil Mickelson

Mickelson came into the 2018 WGC - Mexico Championship having not won since capturing the 2013 British Open, the longest winless streak of his career. Many in the golf world had wondered if the heady days of Lefty’s past were behind him. Mickelson would prove otherwise, but he would do it the hard way. Mickelson shot a very respectable -5 on his final round and looked destined for the win, only for Justin Thomas to hit an eagle on the last hole to finish -7 and force the playoff. However, Mickelson would win on the first playoff with a confident par while Thomas was sunk by an errant drive. The win was Mickelson’s 43rd PGA Tour win.

2018 Preview

Mickelson enters the tournament on good form, coming off the back of winning the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and is currently ranked in the top-20. However, standing in the way of his repeat is a plethora of talented golfers. Mickelson finds himself opening the tournament in a group including last year’s runner-up Justin Thomas, ranked 4th in the world, and Dustin Johnson, world number 3. Any of those golfers has a legitimate chance of winning the tournament. Rory McIlroy also looks a strong contender, having finished in the top-5 of every event he’s played in 2019. Brooks Koepka and early FedExCup points leader Matt Kuchar also are considered favorites. Tiger Woods, the holder of a remarkable 18 World Golf Championship titles, is competing in the Mexico Open for the first time. Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele round out the list of potential favorites. A dark horse pick is Japanese professional Hideki Matsuyama. He has consistently competed well in the tournament though he has yet to win the event.

All the action is available through coverage from the Golf Channel and NBC. Coverage starts on Golf Channel Thursday and Friday 2-7pm ET. Saturday coverage starts on Golf Channel 12-2:30pm before switch to NBC from 2:30-6pm. Championship round coverage takes place Sunday 12-1:30pm on the Golf Channel before finishing on NBC 1:30-6pm. Streaming of the event is available through PGA Tour Live. Radio coverage is also available through PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM and streaming on PGATour.com.